Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-37903

RCE in Vm2 Project Vm2 ≤ 3.9.19

RCECommand Injection
Published
21 July 2023
Modified
03 November 2025
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.042 90th percentile
Risk Priority 89 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-37903 is a critical-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Vm2 Project Vm2. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 10% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

vm2 is an open source sandbox for Node.js that is affected by CVE-2023-37903 in all versions through 3.9.19. The flaw resides in the handling of Node.js custom inspect functions, which can be abused to break out of the sandbox and execute arbitrary code. The issue carries a CVSS score of 9.8 and is tracked under CWE-78.

An attacker who already possesses an arbitrary code execution primitive inside a vm2 sandbox can exploit the inspect function to escape isolation and obtain remote code execution on the host. No authentication or user interaction is required, and the attack can be performed over the network.

The referenced GitHub advisory GHSA-g644-9gfx-q4q4 and associated NetApp bulletins state that no patches exist and no workarounds are known, advising users to migrate to alternative sandboxing solutions. The EPSS score has remained at 0.4009 with no material increase after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

vm2 is an open source vm/sandbox for Node.js. In vm2 for versions up to and including 3.9.19, Node.js custom inspect function allows attackers to escape the sandbox and run arbitrary code. This may result in Remote Code Execution, assuming the…

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attacker has arbitrary code execution primitive inside the context of vm2 sandbox. There are no patches and no known workarounds. Users are advised to find an alternative software.

CWE(s)
CWE-78

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-32314Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2023-32313Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2023-30547Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2023-37466Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2026-44006Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2023-29017Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2023-29199Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2026-43997Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2026-44005Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2
CVE-2026-24118Same product: Vm2 Project Vm2

Affected Assets

vm2 project
vm2
≤ 3.9.19

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

SC-27 Platform-independent Applications
addresses: CWE-78

Platform-independent apps typically execute inside a managed runtime or sandbox that restricts direct OS command execution, reducing the ability to exploit OS command injection.

SI-10 Information Input Validation
addresses: CWE-78

Validates inputs to block special elements that would alter OS command execution.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching/maintenance can remediate known command-injection CVEs in dependencies (partial forward) but does nothing to stop developers from introducing improper neutralization in custom code (none reverse).

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing and code review target insecure use of operating-system command interfaces, catching command-injection flaws introduced during development.

References